CHINESE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS - Stringed Instruments (Chordophone)

The yueqin or yue qin, formerly romanized as yüeh-ch‘in and also known as the moon guitar, moon lute,
gekkin, wolgeum, or la-ch‘in, is a traditional Chinese string instrument. It is a lute with a round, hollow
wooden body which gives it the nickname moon guitar.
The bipa is a pear-shape lute that is a traditional Korean musical instrument which is originated from
Chinese pipa. There are also same instruments such as the Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà and the Japanese
biwa. In the past, there were two types of bipa: the hyang-bipa and the dang-bipa.
The erhu, is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also
be called a Southern Fiddle, and is sometimes known in the Western world as the Chinese violin or a
Chinese two-stringed fiddle. It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large
orchestras.
The zheng or guzheng, is a Chinese plucked zither. The modern guzheng commonly has 21, 25 or 26
strings, is 64 inches long, and is tuned in a major pentatonic scale. It has a large, resonant soundboard
made from Paulownia wood. Other components are often made from other woods for structural or
decorative reasons
Wind Instruments (Aerophone)
The sheng is a Chinese mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes. It is a polyphonic
instrument and enjoys an increasing popularity as a solo instrument.
What is a dizi flute?
The dizi or bamboo flute is one of the most popular instruments in traditional Chinese music. The
Chinese flute is played horizontally, much like a western flute, and is commonly carved out of a single
piece of bamboo with a cork-lined blow-hole. ... The dizi is also famous for its ability to imitate sounds of
nature.
Idiophone
The yunluo, is a traditional Chinese musical instrument. It is made up of a set of gongs of varying sizes
held within a frame. It was also called yún'áo in ancient times.
What kind of instrument is pengling?
The pengling hand bells really are a pair of small cup-shaped copper or brass bells connected by a string.
When struck together, the hand bells, which have no defined pitch, produce a clear and lovely
reverberating sound. In the West, the hand bells are often associated with Buddhist meditation.
JAPANESE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS - Percussion Instruments (Membranophone)
What is the description of Odaiko?
The Odaiko is a large Japanese barrel-shaped drum. Taut skins are stretched across each end of the
body, though usually only one end is struck. It sometimes rests on a stand and is played with two sticks
whose ends may be padded.
The tsudzumi or tsuzumi is a hand drum of Japanese origin. It consists of a wooden body shaped like an
hourglass, and it is taut, with two drum heads with cords that can be squeezed or released to increase or
decrease the tension of the heads respectively.
What is Tsuridaiko instrument?
The tsuri-daiko (kanji: 釣り太鼓; also called gaku-daiko (kanji: 楽太鼓)) is a large Japanese hanging drum. It is
played with two mallets on one side only. It is used primarily in bugaku orchestra.
Taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of
drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called
wadaiko and to the form of ensemble taiko drumming more specifically called kumi-daiko.
String Instruments (Chordophone)
The koto, also known as "Japanese harp", is a Japanese stringed instrument with a rich and detailed
history. Unlike western stringed instruments such as violins and guitars, the koto actually consists of 13
strings that are strung over 13 bridges. There is actually one type of koto that has even 20 strings.
The shamisen or samisen (三味線), also sangen (三絃, both meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed
traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument sanxian. It is played with a
plectrum called a bachi.
The biwa (琵琶) is a Japanese short necked lute, often used in narrative storytelling. The biwa is the
chosen instrument of Benten, goddess of music, eloquence, poetry, and education in Japanese
Buddhism. The biwa is a plucked string instrument that was first popular in China and then spread
throughout East Asia.
Wind Instruments (Aerophone)
The shakuhachi is a Japanese and ancient Chinese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of
bamboo. It was originally introduced from China into Japan in the 7th century and reached its peak in
the Edo period. The oldest shakuhachi in Japan is currently stored in Shōsō-in, Nara.
The Nohkan (能管) is a high pitched, Japanese transverse bamboo flute, or fue (笛). It is commonly used in
traditional Imperial Noh and Kabuki theatre. The nohkan flute was created by Kan'ami and his son Zeami
in the 15th century, during the time when the two were transforming the Noh theatre forms Dengaku
and Sarugaku.
The hichiriki is a double reed Japanese fue used as one of two main melodic instruments in Japanese
gagaku music. It is one of the "sacred" instruments and is often heard at Shinto weddings in Japan. Its
sound is often described as haunting
What is free reed instrument? : a reed in a musical instrument (such as a harmonica) that vibrates in an
air opening just large enough to allow the reed to move freely — compare beating reed.
The shō is a Japanese free reed musical instrument that was introduced from China during the Nara
period. It is descended from the Chinese sheng, of the Tang Dynasty era, although the shō tends to be
smaller in size than its contemporary sheng relatives
The shinobue (kanji: 篠笛; also called takebue (kanji: 竹笛) in the context of Japanese traditional arts) is a
Japanese transverse flute or fue that has a high-pitched sound. It is found in hayashi and nagauta
ensembles, and plays important roles in noh and kabuki theatre music.
The ryūteki is a Japanese transverse fue made of bamboo. It is used in gagaku, the Shinto classical music
associated with Japan's imperial court. The sound of the ryūteki is said to represent the dragons which
ascend the skies between the heavenly lights and the people of the earth
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF KOREA - Stringed Instruments (Chordophone)
The gayageum or kayagum is a traditional Korean plucked zither with 12 strings, though some more
recent variants have 18, 21 or 25 strings. It is probably the best known traditional Korean musical
instrument
The geomungo or hyeongeum is a traditional Korean plucked zither with both bridges and frets.
Scholars believe that the name refers to Goguryeo and translates to "Goguryeo zither" or that it refers
to the colour and translates to "black crane zither"
The haegeum is a traditional Korean string instrument, resembling a fiddle. It has a rodlike neck, a
hollow wooden soundbox, and two silk strings, and is held vertically on the knee of the performer and
played with a bow. It is also popularly known as kkangkkang-i, kkaengkkaeng-i, or aeng-geum.
Wind Instruments (Aerophone)
The piri is a Korean double reed instrument, used in both the folk and classical music of Korea. It is made
of bamboo. Its large reed and cylindrical bore gives it a sound mellower than that of many other types of
oboe. In the typical piri, there are eight finger holes on the bamboo body
The janggu or sometimes called seyogo is the most representative drum in traditional Korean music.. It
is available in most kinds, and consists of an hourglass-shaped body with two heads made from animal
skin.